Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
F-667
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PAYMENT OF BUSINESS REPLY MAIL
Field of the Invention
[0001] The invention disclosed herein relates generally to the field of mail
payment systems, and more particularly to a system and method for payment of
business reply mail.
Background of the Invention
[0002] Many companies and private concerns use business reply mail (BRM)
to solicit information and responses from their customers or potential
customers. As
such, business reply mail has a wide variety of uses and is often customized
depending upon the needs of the sender. A few examples of the uses for
business
reply mail are subscription solicitations, information request responses,
proxy
statement responses, remittance documents (invoices for payment due) and the
like.
Oftentimes, the business reply mail is provided to customers or potential
customers
as part of a direct mail campaign, an invoice or as a detachable insert in a
periodical
magazine or newsletter.
[0003] Business reply mail requires the sender, e.g., company, private
concern, or the like, to pay for the postage of the BRM. As such, BRM is
required to
include an endorsement that states "No Postage Necessary If Mailed In The
United
States" in the upper right hand corner, along with a business reply legend, a
permit
number and a postage payment endorsement that states "Postage Will Be Paid by
Addressee." The delivery address printed on the BRM includes the name of the
BRM permit holder. Thus, based on the permit number and name of the permit
holder, the post office can determine the entity that is responsible for
paying for the
postage of the BRM. With BRM, however, the sender only has to pay for postage
on
the mail pieces that are actually returned by its customers. The sender can
receive
the returned BRM in one of two ways. The carrier could collect ali of the
returned
BRM for a certain period of time and then deliver the returned BRM to the
sender.
Alternatively, the carrier could simply hold all of the returned BRM and the
sender
could retrieve it from the local post office as desired. Either way, the
sender must
pay for each of the BRM mail pieces that are returned.
1
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
[0004] There are currently several methods for the sender, also referred to as
mailer, to pay the postal service for business reply mail. Such payment can
be, for
example, in the form of a check, cash, uncancelled stamps, or debit from a
local non-
interest bearing trust account into which money must be deposited. The United
States Postal Service CUSPS) also provides certain mailers with a postage
payment
system referred to as the Centralized Account Processing System (CAPS), which
provides electronic options to presenting checks or cash in person. CAPS
utilizes
either a centralized non-interest bearing trust account, in which funds are
deposited
electronically, via standard Automated Clearing House (ACH) banking
mechanisms,
or a centralized debit account, in which the sender's designated bank account
will be
debited, via standard ACH banking mechanisms.
[0005] There are problems, however, with the conventional systems for paying
for business reply mail. For example, if the mailer is paying by cash, check,
or
uncancelled stamps, payment must be presented at the time the BRM is delivered
by
the carrier or picked up from the local post office. Accordingly, the mailer
must have
either the correct amount of cash or uncancelled stamps, or be able to quickly
draft a
check for the correct amount. There is also an issue with the security of the
cash,
uncancelled stamps, or check if the party picking up the BRM at the USPS
cannot be
completely trusted (perhaps because the party picking up the returned BRM and
delivering it to the sender is simply a third party courier).
[0006] In addition to the above problems, payment in the form of cash or a
check adds processing costs for the postal authority. For example, it takes
additional time and expenses to record and account for payments made in this
manner. Since funds are collected in a distributed fashion, it is possible for
funds to
get misplaced and/or checks to get lost.
[0007] To overcome the above problems, the USPS utilizes CAPS as
previously described. While CAPS may have alleviated some of the problems,
several still remain. For example, there are several thresholds that a mailer
must
meet to qualify for CAPS, such as, for example, a minimum amount of postage
each
year. For example, to qualify for CAPS, a mailer currently must have a permit
account with a minimum of $540,000 of postage each year. Alternatively, a
mailer
can have three permits in two or more postal locations with a minimum of
$10,000 of
2
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
postage per year, or three or more permits at one post office with a minimum
of
$50,000 postage per year. Many businesses currently do not meet any of these
requirements, and therefore do not qualify for CAPS. Even if the thresholds
were
removed so all mailers would qualify for CAPS, several problems would still
remain.
For example, if large numbers of mailers utilized CAPS, there would be
additional
expenses for the postal authority to maintain and service the large number of
CAPS
accounts.
[0008] Additionally, from the mailer's perspective, CAPS also has limitations.
For example, with the centralized trust account, the funds for payment of the
postage
must be deposited prior to receiving the returned BRM, thereby tying up funds
in a
non-interest bearing account. With the centralized debit account, some mailers
are
reluctant to provide their banking information to the USPS and other
suppliers. With
the use of either the centralized trust account or the centralized debit
account,
additional record keeping is necessary to reconcile the amount debited or
charged
by the postal authority. Furthermore, the USPS is not permitted to grant
credit to a
mailer or pay interest on deposits, thereby making it necessary for the mailer
to
ensure that correct amounts are available in their account or risk delays in
receiving
their returned BRM. Such delays could cost the mailer significant amounts in
both
money and customers.
[0009] Thus, there exists a need for a trusted system and method that allows
mailers of all sizes to pay for business reply mail without presenting cash,
uncancelled stamps, or a check at the time of receiving the returned BRM.
Additionally, there is a need for a system and method that provides mailers
with
payment options, such as, for example, a credit line or an interest bearing
account,
to pay for business reply mail, reduces the amount of record keeping for both
mailers
and the postal authority, and provides mailers with additional resources to
manage
their funds more effectively.
Summary of the Invention
(0010) The present invention alleviates the problems associated with the prior
art and provides a trusted system and method that allows mailers of all sizes
to pay
3
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
for business reply mail, reduces the amount of record keeping for both mailers
and
the postal authority, provides mailers with additional resources to manage
their
funds more effectively, and reduces USPS operating costs, including, for
example,
check processing costs.
[0011] In accordance with the present invention, a BRM payment system
establishes a payment account with the postal system for payment for BRM. The
account may be, for example, a CAPS account in the U.S., or simply a standard
type
of payment account. A plurality of mailers each establish a separate account
with
the BRM payment system and transfer control of payment for returned BRM under
their respective permit imprints to the BRM payment system. The account could
be
set up, for example, as an interest bearing or non-interest bearing deposit
account
for each mailer from which funds may be used to pay the postage for the BRM
returned to each mailer. Additionally, the BRM payment system could establish
a
credit line for each mailer.
[0012] When a mailer decides to send a mailing that includes BRM for return
to the mailer, the mailer notifies the BRM payment system and authorizes the
BRM
payment system to provide payment to the post office, from the BRM payment
service's payment account, for the returned BRM. Preferably, the mailer
provides
information related to the BRM. Such information could include, for example,
the
permit imprint number for the BRM, the zip code number associated with the
permit
number, i.e., the zip code of the addressee to which the BRM will be returned,
the
return address that should appear on every piece of BRM (including the permit
holder's name), a maximum number of pieces expected under the current
authorization (which when exceeded causes the current authorization to
automatically expire), a maximum postage amount under the current
authorization
(which when exceed causes the current authorization to automatically expire),
a daily
limit amount for the number of pieces or postage amount, threshold amounts for
either the number pieces received or amount of postage paid upon which the
mailer
will be notified, and a fixed date upon which the current authorization should
automatically expire. The BRM payment system processes the information related
to the BRM and, provided funds are available within the mailer's account or
the
expected amount is within the mailer's credit limit, agrees to make payments
to the
4
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
postal service for the returned BRM. Preferably, the BRM payment service
issues a
payment authorization number (PAN) to the mailer for each authorization,
thereby
allowing the mailer to track different authorizations separately.
[0013] As the postal facility receives the returned BRM, an amount of postage
due for the BRM is calculated, such as, for example, by completing USPS Form
3582-C Postage Due Invoice. The postal facility then communicates with the BRM
payment system to confirm that payment is authorized for the returned BRM,
i.e.,
that an active PAN exists for the returned BRM, based, for example, on the
permit
number and permit holder's name (which must appear on the BRM). The BRM
payment system will preferably again determine that sufficient funds are
available
within the mailer's account or within the mailer's credit limit to pay the
postage due
for the returned BRM as calculated by the postal facility. If insufficient
funds or credit
are available, the BRM payment system will indicate to the postal facility
that the
returned BRM should be rejected, i.e., not returned to the mailer, as payment
will not
be made. If sufficient funds or credit are available within the mailer's
account, the
BRM payment system will acknowledge that an authorization exists and provide
the
conditions for acceptance of the returned BRM, based on the information
associated
with the BRM previously provided by the mailer, to the postal facility.
[0014] The postal facility then determines if the conditions for acceptance
are
satisfied, including, for example, if the maximum total number of pieces or
maximum
daily number of pieces have been exceeded, and if the maximum total postage
amount or maximum daily postage amount have been exceeded. If the conditions
for acceptance of the returned BRM have been satisfied, the postal facility
will
indicate such to the BRM payment system and accept the returned BRM for
delivery
back to the mailer. Upon receiving notification of acceptance of the returned
BRM,
the BRM payment system will charge the mailer's account and perform accounting
procedures to update the information associated with BRM, such as, for
example,
incrementing the total number of pieces returned and amount of postage paid to
reflect the returned BRM just accepted. Preferably, the BRM payment system
provides notification to the mailer that the returned BRM has been accepted,
and can
include the details from the 3582-C Postage Due Invoice form. The notification
can
also provide the mailer with the current status of the PAN, thereby allowing
the
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
mailer to determine if the PAN should be renewed based on threshold
information or
the date of expiration. If the returned BRM was rejected, the BRM payment
system
can also provide a notification to the mailer of the rejection and the reason
for the
rejection.
[0015] The BRM payment system provides payment to the postal service for
the returned BRM that has been accepted for return to the mailer. This can be
performed, for example, on a daily basis by totaling the funds due the postal
service
from all of the 3582-C Postage Due Invoice forms submitted to the system that
day.
Thus, the BRM payment system can aggregate the amount due for a number of
different mailers and provide a single payment to the postal service.
[0016] The BRM payment system also settles all transactions with the mailers.
The particular type of settlement depends upon the type of account the mailer
has
with the BRM payment system. For example, the BRM payment system could
invoice the mailer for all returned BRM accepted within a given time period,
such as,
for example one or two weeks. If the mailer has funds on account with the BRM
payment system, the BRM payment system could deduct the funds from the
mailer's
account on a predetermined regular basis, such as, for example, daily, weekly,
etc.
Alternatively, the funds could be deducted as soon as each transaction is
completed.
The present invention provides mailers with multiple payment options for
business
reply mail including "Just-In-Time" payments, "Pay In Advance" payments,
andlor
"Pay In Arrears" payments. The "Just-In-Time" payment option allows the mailer
to
pay the BRM payment system when the returned BRM is accepted by the post
office. The "Pay In Arrears" payment option provides the mailer with a credit
line to
pay for BRM. The "Pay In Advance" payment option may provide mailers with
interest on pre-paid BRM.
[0017] All of the payment solutions of the present invention allow the mailer
to
view all of their account detail on-line, including historical payment
information by
permit number, initiate on-line payments, and initiate and approve on-line
authorizations. Customers can make payments to the BRM payment aggregator in a
number of ways, including, for example, via check, ACH credit or debit or
wire.
6
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
[0018] Therefore, it should now be apparent that the invention substantially
achieves all the above aspects and advantages. Additional aspects and
advantages
of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in
part will be
obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
Moreover, the aspects and advantages of the invention may be realized and
obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly
pointed out
in the appended claims.
Descriation of the Drawings
[0019] The accompanying drawings illustrate a presently preferred
embodiment of the invention, and together with the general description given
above
and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of
the
invention. As shown throughout the drawings, like reference numerals designate
like
or corresponding parts.
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates in block diagram form a system for payment of
business reply mail according to the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates in flow diagram form a process for payment of
business reply mail according to the present invention;
[0022] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate in flow diagram form further processing for
the payment of business reply mail according to the present invention; and
[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates in block diagram form an exemplary account for
payment of business reply mail according to the present invention.
Detailed Descriation of the Present Invention
[0024] In describing the present invention, reference is made to the drawings,
wherein there is seen in Fig. 1 a system for payment of business reply mail
according to the present invention. A BRM payment system 12 maintains a
payment
account, such as CAPS, with the post office 14. BRM payment system 12 is
authorized by the mailer 16 to provide payment to the post office 14 for
returned
7
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
BRM originally sent by the mailer 16. The BRM payment system 12 provides the
mailer 16 with multiple payment options not currently available to pay for
business
reply mail. For example, the BRM payment system 12 can enable mailer 16 to
participate in programs such as CAPS, regardless of whether mailer 16 meets
the
threshold criteria for CAPS by aggregating a plurality of mailers under a
master
account held by BRM payment system 12.
[0025] The operation of BRM payment system 12 will be described with
respect to the process flow diagrams illustrated in Figs. 2, 3A and 3B.
Referring now
to Fig. 2, in step 100 the BRM payment system 12 establishes a payment account
with the post office 14 to provide payment for BRM. The payment account could
be,
for example, a master CAPS account. It should be noted that while BRM payment
system 12 may not actually be registered for any BRM permit imprints, BRM
payment system 12 can qualify for a CAPS account based on an aggregation of
BRM permit imprints for mailers, such as mailer 16, that will utilize the
system 12.
[0026] In step 102, a mailer 16 establishes an account with the BRM payment
system 12 to provide services related to payment for returned BRM. This
account
for mailer 16 can be established in a number of different ways as illustrated
in Fig. 4.
BRM payment system 12 can establish an interest bearing deposit account 30
and/or a non-interest bearing deposit account 40 for mailer 16 from which
funds may
be used to pay the postage for BRM returned to mailer 16. Interest bearing
deposit
account 30 allows the mailer 16 to accumulate interest on any funds deposited
in
interest bearing deposit account 30. Funds for the interest bearing deposit
account
30 or non-interest bearing deposit account 40 for mailer 16 can be provided by
transferring funds, in any convenient manner, such as, for example, by wire
transfer,
check, ACH credit, etc., from the mailer's bank account 38 to a bank account
34 of
BRM payment system 12. These funds are then transferred to the interest
bearing
deposit account 30 or non-interest bearing deposit account 40. Alternatively
to, or in
addition to, interest bearing deposit account 30 and/or non-interest bearing
deposit
account 40, BRM payment system 12 could also establish a credit line 32 for
mailer
16 if desired. Payments for returned BRM made via the credit line 32 are
billed to
the mailer 16 by the accounts receivable department 36 of BRM payment system
12,
which then receives payment from the mailer, typically from the mailer's bank
8
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
account 38. Additionally, the interest bearing deposit account 30, non-
interest
bearing deposit account 40 and/or credit line 32 could be maintained by mailer
16
utilizing a dial-up system, such as, for example, Postage-by-Phone~ 42 from
Pitney
Bowes. Thus, the present invention provides mailer 16 with multiple payment
options for BRM including "Just-In-Time" payments, "Pay In Advance" payments,
and/or "Pay In Arrears" payments. The "Just-In-Time" payment option allows the
mailer 16 to pay the BRM payment system 12 at the completion of each
transaction
with the post office, i.e., when returned BRM is accepted for return to the
mailer 16.
The "Pay In Arrears" payment option provides the mailer 16 with a credit line
32 to
pay for returned BRM. The "Pay In Advance" payment option may provide mailer
16
with interest on pre-paid BRM. All of the payment solutions of the present
invention
allow the mailer 16 to view all of their account detail on-line via a remote
computer
coupled to a network, such as, for example, the Internet. Account details
include, for
example, historical payment information by BRM permit number, initiate on-fine
payments, and initiate and approve on-line authorizations.
[0027] Referring again to Fig. 2, in step 104 the mailer 16 transfers
responsibility for payment of returned BRM under its BRM permit, issued by the
post
office 14, to BRM payment system 12. Thus, BRM payment system 12 will be
authorized to pay the post office 14 for returned BRM under the permit number
assigned to mailer 16 utilizing the account established by BRM payment system
12
in step 100. As noted above, BRM payment system 12 provides mailer 16 with
additional payment options and ways to better utilize their funds, while also
decreasing the amount of record keeping, processing and costs for the post
office 14
as will be further described below.
[0028] In step 106, the BRM payment system 12 establishes a customer
account number for mailer 16. This may be established by combining the BRM
permit number for mailer 16 and the zip code of the return address of the
mailer 16.
The zip code of the return address indicates the post office 14 where any
return
BRM will be delivered for acceptance and final return to the mailer 16. Since
permit
numbers will not repeat for the same post office 14, by combining the BRM
permit
imprint number and the zip code of the post office 14 for mailer 16, an
account
number will be generated that uniquely identifies mailer 16 and the
corresponding
9
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
BRM permit imprint number. Thus, even if mailer 16 has multiple BRM permit
imprint numbers or utilizes multiple return addresses, a unique account number
will
be generated for each BRM permit number. Of course, if mailer 16 has multiple
BRM permit imprint numbers or utilizes more than one return address, BRM
payment
system 12 could establish a single master account for mailer 16 which maps to
each
of the accounts for the individual BRM permit imprint numbers. The account
number
for mailer 16 is utilized to track postage payments for returned BRM as
described
below.
[0029] Referring now to Figs. 3A and 3B, there is illustrated in flow diagram
form the processing performed for payment of BRM according to the present
invention. Suppose, for example, mailer 16 decides to send a mailing that
includes
BRM for return to the mailer 16. In step 120, the mailer 16 authorizes the BRM
payment system 10 to make payments for postage for the returned BRM. This
authorization can be made directly by the mailer 16 or an authorized agent of
the
mailer 16. Such authorization could be provided, for example, by telephone,
via a
web page operated by BRM payment system 12 and accessed by mailer 16,
facsimile, e-mail, etc. With respect to authorization by telephone, it should
be noted
that mailer 16 could provide authorization utilizing a voice recognition unit
(VRU).
Regardless of the means for providing the authorization, the authorization
includes
information related to the BRM. For example, the information could be provided
by
the mailer 16 completing a statement of business reply mail form. Such
information
could include, for example, the permit imprint number for the BRM, the zip
code
number associated with the permit number, i.e., the zip code of the addressee
to
which the BRM will be returned, the return address that should appear on every
piece of BRM (including the permit holder's name), a maximum number of pieces
expected under the current authorization (which when exceeded causes the
current
authorization to automatically expire), a maximum postage amount under the
current
authorization (which when exceed causes the current authorization to
automatically
expire), a daily limit amount for the number of pieces or postage amount,
threshold
amounts for either the total number of pieces received or total amount of
postage
paid upon which the mailer will be notified, and a fixed date upon which the
current
authorization should automatically expire. Optionally, if no expiration date
is
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
provided, the BRM payment system could automatically set a fixed expiration
period,
such as, for example, six months or one year.
[0030] In step 122, the information related to the BRM is processed by BRM
payment system 12. According to one embodiment of the invention, processing
includes the generation of a Payment Authorization Number (PAN) by a payment
authorization system 20 (Fig. 1 ). The PAN is linked to the information
related to the
BRM and provided to the mailer 16. The PAN can be used by the mailer 16 to
maintain account records with respect to one or more BRM mailings currently in
process. Optionally, the PAN could also be provided to the post office 14 at
which
the return BRM will be processed for use as described below. Alternatively, a
PAN
need not be generated, and instead processing the information related to the
BRM
can include storing the information in such a way that it can be easily
retrieved based
on information related to the BRM. The information could be stored, for
example, in
a database (not shown) accessible by the BRM payment system 12. Retrieval
could
be performed, for example, by searching the database based on one or more of
the
permit imprint number, permit holder's name, and zip code associated with the
permit number.
[0031] In step 124, the returned BRM is received by the post office 14 for
processing and eventual return to the mailer 16. In step 126, the returned BRM
is
processed by the post office 14. Such processing could either be performed
manually, such as, for example, by a postal clerk, or automatically utilizing
processor
based equipment equipped with scanners, such as, for example, sortation
equipment, facers, and the like. Such processing includes, for example,
calculating
the amount of postagE due based on the number of pieces of BRM being
processed.
Typically, the processing includes the completion of USPS Form 3582-C Postage
Due Invoice, which details the number of pieces and calculated postage due.
This
can either be completed manually by a postal clerk or automatically by a
processor
based system. The post office 14 then communicates with the BRM payment
system 12, and provides the amount of postage due to confirm payment for the
BRM. If a PAN was issued and provided to the post office 14, the PAN can be
matched to the mailer 16, for example, utilizing the permit number and
mailer's
name, and the PAN provided to the BRM payment system 12 for verification. If
no
11
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
PAN was issued or the PAN was not provided to the post office 14, then the
post
office 14 can communicate with the BRM payment system 12 to determine if,
based
on the permit number and permit holder's name, i.e., the mailer 16, or permit
holder's
zip code, payment for the BRM will be made by the BRM payment system 12. Such
communication can be performed, for example, via telephone or a network, such
as,
for example, the Internet.
[0032] In either case, the BRM payment system 12 will preferably again
determine that sufficient funds are available within the account or credit
limit of
mailer 16 to pay for the postage due for the returned BRM. If sufficient funds
are
available, BRM payment system 12 can then verify that the PAN (if provided by
the
post office 14) is active, and provide the post office 14 with the information
related to
the BRM that is linked to the PAN, or if no PAN is provided, linked to the
permit
number and permit holder's name. Such information could include, for example,
the
permit imprint number for the BRM, the zip code number associated with the
permit
number, i.e., the zip code of the addressee to which the BRM will be returned,
the
return address that should appear on every piece of BRM (including the permit
holder's name), a maximum number of pieces expected under the current
authorization (which when exceeded causes the current authorization to
automatically expire), a maximum postage amount under the current
authorization
(which when exceed causes the current authorization to automatically expire),
a daily
limit amount for the number of pieces or postage amount, and a fixed date upon
which the current authorization will automatically expire. If sufficient funds
are not
available, the BRM payment system 12 can instruct the post office 14 to reject
the
returned BRM.
[0033] In step 128, if the post off:ICe 14 has not been instructed by the BRM
payment system 12 to reject all of the returned BRM, the returned BRM is
compared
to the information provided by the BRM payment system in step 126. In step 132
it
is determined if the returned BRM meets each of the criteria provided by the
BRM
payment system 12. If in step 132 it is determined that the returned BRM does
not
meet each of the criteria provided by the BRM payment system 12, or if the
post
office 14 was instructed by the BRM payment system 12 to reject the returned
BRM,
such as, for example, in the case of insufficient funds, then in step 134 all
or a
12
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
portion of the returned BRM is rejected by the post office 14 and will not be
returned
to the mailer 16. The post office 14 will provide notice of the rejection to
the BRM
payment system 12. Such notice could include, for example, the number of
pieces
being rejected and the reason, along with other details from the USPS Form
3582-C.
For example, if the daily limit amount for the number of pieces has been
exceeded,
the post office 14 can accept only the daily limit amount and reject the
remainder.
Such rejection could include either discarding the remainder of the BRM, or
holding
that portion of the BRM until the next day for reprocessing. Similarly, if the
daily limit
for the amount of postage has been exceeded, the post office can accept only a
portion of the returned BRM that meets the postage amount limit, and reject
the
remainder. Such rejection could include either discarding the remainder of the
BRM,
or holding that portion of the BRM until the next day for reprocessing. If the
maximum piece number or postage amount has been exceeded, then any remainder
BRM will preferably be discarded.
[0034] If any or all of the returned BRM is rejected in step 134, because of
instructions from the BRM payment system 12 or it does not meet one or more of
the
criteria as provided by the BRM payment system 12, then preferably in step 136
the
mailer 16 is notified of the rejection by the BRM payment system 12. Such
notification can be performed, for example, by an automated telephone system,
facsimile, e-mail, etc. Preferably, the notification includes details of the
rejected
BRM, including the number of pieces being rejected and the reason, as well as
any
other information from the USPS Form 3582-C. Additionally, the BRM payment
system 12 will also preferably provide the mailer 16 with additional
information
related to the authorization, such as, for example, threshold limits set by
the mailer
16, expiration date, etc., such that the mailer 16 can determine if renewal of
the
authorization is desired, such as, for example, to reset threshold limits or
the
expiration date. For example, the mailer 16 may desire to reset the daily
limit
amounts or the expiration date.
[0035] If in step 132 it is determined that the returned BRM meets the
criteria
as provided by the BRM payment system 12, then in step 138 the returned BRM is
accepted by the post office 14 and the post office 14 provides notice of the
acceptance to the BRM payment system 12. Such notification preferably includes
13
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
the actual piece count and the actual cost of the returned BRM, along with
other
details from the USPS Form 3582-C.
[0036] In step 140 the BRM payment system 12 provides notification to the
mailer 16 of the accepted BRM by the post office 14, and can provide the
actual
piece count, actual cost, and other information collected by BRM payment
system 12
as provided by the post office 14. Such notification could be done, for
example, by
an automated telephone system, facsimile, e-mail, etc. Additionally, the BRM
payment system 12 will also preferably provide the mailer 16 with additional
information related to the authorization, such as, for example, threshold
limits set by
the mailer 16, expiration date, etc., such that the mailer 16 can determine if
renewal
of the authorization is desired. For example, the mailer 16 may desire to
reset the
daily limit amounts or the expiration date. In addition, in step 140 the BRM
payment
system 12 performs accounting procedures to update the information associated
with the BRM to include the BRM just accepted by the post office 14. For
example,
the BRM payment system 12 can update the total number of pieces returned and
the
total amount of postage paid to include the just returned BRM.
[0037] In step 142, the BRM payment system 12 prepares for payment of the
returned BRM from the account for mailer 16. It is important to note, however,
that
at the time the mailer 16 provided authorization for the BRM (step 120 of Fig.
3A), it
was not necessary to move money from the mailer's account with the BRM payment
system 12. Thus, the mailer 16 has not occurred any type of finance charges or
fees
if the payment is being done utilizing the credit line 32, nor has the mailer
16 lost any
interest from money being removed from the interest bearing deposit account
30.
Preferably, it is not until after the notification of acceptance by the post
office 14 is
received in step 138 that the funds needed to pay for the returned BRM are
removed
or charged against the account of mailer 16 in BRM payment system 12, as
selected
by the mailer 16, and placed in the master account that BRM payment system 12
holds with the post office 14.
[0038] Alternatively, the master account that BRM payment system 12 holds
with the post office 14 could always maintain a minimum balance based on
statistical
normal daily transactional costs. This system, however, is not as efficient as
14
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
transferring the funds into the master account just before payment is to
occur, as any
potential interest may be lost on the funds that remain idle in the master
account.
[0039] In step 144, the post office 14 settles with the BRM payment system
12, such as, for example, by executing an ACH debit against the master account
that
the BRM payment system 12 maintains with the post office 14 for the BRM of the
mailer 16. Typically, this is performed at the end of each day or on the next
business
day after acceptance of the BRM, and can aggregate all of the payments due for
all
BRM accepted by the post office 14 for all mailers that have accounts with the
BRM
payment system 12. Accordingly, the funds removed or charged against the
account
of mailer 16 in BRM payment system 12 in step 142 will be available in the
master
account that BRM payment system 12 maintains with the post office 14.
Alternatively, the BRM payment system 12 may provide funds to the post office
14
by way of a wire funds transfer or by way of an ACH credit transaction which
would
move funds from BRM payment system's bank account 34 to the bank account of
post office 14.
[0040] In step 146, the post office 14 can optionally provide notification,
typically via a web site accessible by BRM payment system 12, of confirmation
of the
above transaction, i.e., that return BRM was paid for utilizing the master
account of
BRM payment system 12. The confirmation may include additional information
such
as, for example, the acceptance site, the permit number, the cost of the
return BRM
and the actual number of pieces. This information can be utilized by BRM
payment
system 12 to track postage payments against the record of all authorizations
for
payment for BRM that were made by mailer 16 for auditing purposes.
[0041] In step 148, the BRM payment system 12 can, if necessary, settle with
the mailer 16. Such settlement can include, for example, providing an invoice
for the
postage due, or a statement of charges made against the account of the mailer
16.
The particular type of settlement depends upon the type of account the mailer
16 has
with the BRM payment system 12. For example, the BRM payment system 12 could
invoice the mailer for all returned BRM accepted within a given time period,
such as,
for example one or two weeks. If the mailer 16 has funds on account with the
BRM
payment system 12, the BRM payment system 12 could deduct the funds from the
mailer's account on a predetermined regular basis, such as, for example,
daily,
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
weekly, etc. Alternatively, the funds could be deducted as soon as each
transaction
is completed. The present invention provides mailers with multiple payment
options
for business reply mail including "Just-In-Time" payments, "Pay In Advance"
payments, andlor "Pay In Arrears" payments. The "Just-In-Time" payment option
allows the mailer 16 to pay the BRM payment system 12 when the returned BRM is
accepted by the post office 14. The "Pay In Arrears" payment option provides
the
mailer 16 with a credit line to pay for BRM. The "Pay In Advance" payment
option
may provide mailers with interest on pre-paid BRM.
[0042] In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, BRM
payment system 12 does not need any type of PAN system 20 or keep any records
of BRM authorized by the mailer 16. In this embodiment, the mailer 16 need not
provide any type of advance authorization to pay for the BRM. When BRM is
accepted by the post office 14 under a permit imprint for which BRM payment
system 12 has payment responsibility, the master account held by BRM payment
system 12 will be charged for the BRM, regardless of the cost. The BRM payment
system 12 will then bill the costs for the return BRM back to the mailer 16.
This
embodiment, however, is less secure as BRM payment system 12 will be liable
for
payment for any return BRM, as long as the permit number and zip code of the
addressee are correct.
[0043] Thus, the BRM payment system 12 of the present invention provides
mailers of all sizes with several payment options to securely pay for business
reply
mail, reduces the amount of record keeping for both mailers and the postal
authority,
provides mailers with additional resources to manage their funds more
effectively,
and reduces USPS operating costs, including, for example, check processing
costs.
For example, mailer 16 can utilize the CAPS system of the USPS without having
to
individually meet the threshold criteria for CAPS. Additionally, according to
the
present invention, the mailer 16 can now utilize either an interest bearing
deposit
account 30 or establish a credit line 32, neither of which the post office 14
currently
provides. Furthermore, the system 12 according to the present invention will
reduce
the record keeping required by the post office 14, as now multiple mailers are
aggregated under a single master account for BRM payment system 12. Thus, BRM
payment system 12 must perform the bulk of the record keeping, significantly
16
CA 02490596 2004-12-20
reducing the workload on the post office 14. Along with this, since the number
of
mailers that will pay by cash or check for business reply mail will
significantly
decrease, so will the time and expense incurred by the post ofi:fce 14 for
processing
those types of payments.
17
